This invention relates to a vehicle steering command module for a vehicle wherein the command module is necessary to start and control the motion of the vehicle and once removed from the vehicle the command module can function as a personal computer.
Typically, a vehicle includes a steering wheel rotation of which is used to control the direction of travel of the vehicle. The typical steering wheel requires numerous gears and mechanical linkages in order to effectuate turning of a pair of road wheels of the vehicle. In addition, a typical vehicle requires some sort of a key or starting mechanism in order to permit movement of the vehicle. Recently, a number of steer-by-wire systems have been developed for vehicles. Steer-by-wire systems eliminate a large number of the gears normally associated with a steering system. Electrical signals are used to control the direction of travel of the vehicle in a steer-by-wire system.
Technological advances in the computer industry have permitted ever smaller and more powerful computers to be developed. Computers are increasingly being integrated into vehicle systems for control of vehicle functions. It would be advantageous to provide a computer which could be releasably connected to the vehicle and which permitted a user to control various functions including steering of the vehicle when connected to the vehicle. It would be additionally advantageous if the computer, when released from the vehicle, could function as a personal computer. Preferably, connection of the personal computer to the vehicle could also serve as a key function to enable ignition of the vehicle""s engine.
One disadvantage of current vehicle steering systems is that the manufacturer has to select between mounting the steering wheel on the left, per American convention, or on the right, per European convention. For an international vehicle manufacturer this presents problems in that the same parts can not be used in each design, and thus it necessitates many similar non-interchangeable parts. It would be advantageous to provide a steering system that could readily and easily be used on either end of an instrument panel of a vehicle. It would be most preferable if a user could select and change the position of the steering control between the right and the left.
The present invention provides alternatives and advantages over the prior art by providing a dual position vehicle steering command module, which is necessary in order to start and control the motion of the vehicle. The vehicle steering command module functions as a personal computer when not connected to the vehicle. The vehicle steering command module permits a user to steer the vehicle from either side of the vehicle and to control all the functions of the vehicle through the command module including steering and environmental conditions of the vehicle.
In a first embodiment, the dual position vehicle steering command module comprises an instrument panel of a vehicle, the instrument panel having a first mating connection port spaced opposite a second mating connection port. A vehicle steering command module comprises a housing having a computer processing unit and a connection port, the connection port releasably connects the command module to either the first or the second mating connection port of the instrument panel and thereby completes a steer by wire circuit of the vehicle. Rotation of the command module controls the direction of travel of the vehicle when the command module is connected to one of the mating connection ports. The command module has at least one input device operably connected to the computer processing unit and a cover movable between a closed position and an open position. The cover has a display screen operably connected to the computer processing unit. The command module also has a pair of opposed handles.